Wichita eagle., 1887-07-09
PEcos RIVER. N. M.
To The Editor Of the Eagle.

# LUIGI hePt IL pretty gOO0 shape Dy fete
Powers, and on Thursday morning wit
some OF his assistance We prepared to star
e out, but the first thing was a burro I.
e pack our traps. We soon found a Next
a can that was willing to sell out. which W
bought. We then bought grub enough t,
last about month and On Friday morn in,
struck for the Pecos river. We wen
about six miles to Mexican town calico
Pecos. 1t had the usual adobe houses, 3
> store and Catholic meeting house TIL,
S ruins of the cid adobe Pecos church are
about one mile south of the present town
} The Mexicans have story to tell, and the
way 1t was told to us was that great many
years ago Montezuma was driven out OF
Old Mexico and he started up the Rio
Grande with his followers until they struck
the PecOs pronounced Pacus here. He
followed up the river, making large
number Of converts, and those that did not
confess and believe in him, were simply
murdered. He bad heard of a number of
civilized rulers doing the same thing, and
he found 1t success, so that when he ar
rived at this place, he thought it was time
to build great church and city around it,
which he accordingly did; but after awhile
he was taken sick, and finding that his
days were numbered, he told his followers
TO build fire in the big church and never
let it go out, ana he would come back some
day. About this time an eagle came
came along Montezuma got onto his
back and away they went, so they kept the
holy fire burning for 200 years in the
church; by that time the building began to
decay and they removed the holy fire to the
side of hill near by and kept it burning
there for about one hundred years, and by
that time they made up their minds that
old Montezuma had gone back on them,
so they let the fire 90 ont and the buildings
decay, and went about mile farther north
and started the town of Pecos. The build
ing was built, according to documentary
evidence, long before any other church in
the United States 1t was built in the form
of cross The entire length inside was
118 feet; the width of the tower or west
end was 76 By 25 feet; the top or east end
was II by %, while the cross section was
AZ by Is. There were towers on the east
end The walls on the east end are about
twenty feet high, while the rest have been
washed away to about four feet. The
walls were about five feet and half at the
base but tapered as they were built up.
The timbers were nicely hewn and some
rude carvings are seen, but still there is
nothing to show anything of its former
condition but ruins. 1t was built on very
prominent place as well as the buildings
around it, but it could not stand
the ravages of old Father Time, for every
thing is destroyed, not a building left, or
any of its former inhabitants left to tell |
their past history. We gathered some
relics to take with us and bid good bye to
Pecos Church and shaped our course for
the Pecos river. We went up the river.
The head of the river is about forty miles
from Pecos, and if a person wishes to see
scenery here it Is. The noun
tains about Pecos are about {, 800 feet high,
while Pecos Badly at the head of the river
is IL, 500, so there is fall of 5000 feet in
forty miles, SO that the rapidity of the
river is Amazing and confusing to person
not used to it. and to describe it would be
q task beyond my abilities, but think
when Longfellew wrote his description of
how the waters crme down at LAHORE he
must have seen the Pecos river. The
on each side are grand; occas-
onally there is little bottom land at the
foot of the nloSntains, but generally they
raise their huge shapes from the river one
above another. until we lose ourselves in
wonder. 1t is quite serious task to travel
over these mountains and none but per
son of good health can do it.
These mountains are well covered with
imher. First cedar, next pine, then
spruce and lastly aspens and scrub oaks. ,
Some Of the highest peaks have snow on
hem yet Game is not very plenty; can {
yet deer and some turkeys. The streams
nave plenty of trout in them and there is
10 difficulty in getting all We want, but
here is quite difference between catch t
ng trout in these mountain streams and
catching catfish in Kansas. The water in .
hese rivers Is very nice and cold no ice is
needed The mountains along the Pec0s
Are full Of minerals, but as to their value
Tine and capital will decide. We are not :
experts. picked up some fine specimens ]
IF gold ore at the Hamilton mines that | ,
ntendad bringing home, as l called them
very valuable. About this time an old ,
miner came along and asked him if there ]
was any gold in those specimens He said s
no, it was nothing but iron; so l shall not ,
take those specimens home but shall lock
for something more valuable. There is {
some farming carried on along the river
wherever a small piece Of bottom land can :
be found. Ii is done mostly by Mexicsns
IN the same way it was done 500 years ago.
Ii Mexican can get from two TO five
acres OF land he has enough if he can irri-
gate it, to support large family. They !,
can raise beans, potatoes and red peppers,
hen they are hsppy. The white men do
40, waste much time trying TO farm, al
though they say they can raise enormous